I'm not sure what thread to post this in, but thought I would post it here, since some of us fly to embarkation ports.

I had my first experience with a full body scanner at an airport recently. This trip was non-cruise related. For me personally, this was easy. The agent just asked if I had anything in my pockets, which I did (my wallet). They just had me take it out, and hold it in one had, with my hands up while the full body scanner operated, which is all of 2 seconds. After, I just handed my wallet to a TSA official, who looked at it quickly, then gave it back. Not sure if there was something in there that triggered the scanner, but there was no problem.

Just thought I would share my experience with that, as I've heard some people aren't too thrilled with the full body scan.

Thanks for the info., I haven't flown since right after 911. Aren't they supposed to be coming out with ones that don't show you naked? The regular scanners at the ports drive me bonkers. My military belt or the pin in my finger always sets them off. So I take the belt off and my pants start falling down. Then I get the wand. So sometimes the wand goes off for the pin in my finger. The funny thing is it is my middle finger. I've gotten some funny looks when I show them.

I'm not sure what thread to post this in, but thought I would post it here, since some of us fly to embarkation ports.

I had my first experience with a full body scanner at an airport recently. This trip was non-cruise related. For me personally, this was easy. The agent just asked if I had anything in my pockets, which I did (my wallet). They just had me take it out, and hold it in one had, with my hands up while the full body scanner operated, which is all of 2 seconds. After, I just handed my wallet to a TSA official, who looked at it quickly, then gave it back. Not sure if there was something in there that triggered the scanner, but there was no problem.

Just thought I would share my experience with that, as I've heard some people aren't too thrilled with the full body scan.

Do you have any 8 by 10 glossies you care to share?

A scanner would not bother me. I think some people make too much of them.

I have been through the scanner at least a half-a-dozen times since they started using them last year and it is really no big deal at all. It is simple and really quite fast and if it makes all of us safer during our travels, then that is OK with me. I really don't care is some pervert at TSA wants to stare at a weird looking computer generated image of my body. I find it interesting that some folks who wear almost nothing while at the beach complain about these scanners.

I ask everyone reading this to ponder a scenario for a moment...imagine if these scanners had been available prior to 9/11 and the TSA had not adopted them due to public backlash. Everyone would be screaming for someone's head...saying how the tragedy could have been prevented by their use, etc, etc. Sometimes, our government is in a no win situation when trying to balance individual rights with the greater good. Just remember, the bottom line here is that the ability to fly commercially in our country is a privilege, not a right, and if you don't like the scanners, then don't fly.

Please don't anyone misunderstand me...I am all about individual rights, but to me, this is not worth having a constitutional argument over.

Well put, Bob. I especially don't care when I am on the way to my cruise. Now on the way back, I might be less inclined to submit to a strip search/scanner, or whatever...I guess that really depends on how much time I had to consume alcohol in the airport before leaving.

There are issues with the radiation dose received from the scanners that need to be resolved. Even the TSA admits they were incorrect about the dose and there are problems with their machine calibrations, yet they continue to be vague when discussing it. They would have been better off not going with the backscatter machines because of the radiation issue, and should have stuck with the millimeter wave scanners. As a radiation protection professional I will tell anyone that 'any radiation exposure, not matter how slight, may cause adverse health effects'. In the case of the backscatter machines, they give a shallow dose to the skin and many in the health physics community do not agree that the exposure received is as safe as TSA claims.

I don't like it, but I'll do it since I have no other choice if I must fly commercial. I'm certainly not going to launch some protest at the checkpoint or be a difficult passenger.